Being Mindful about Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a new way of approaching the way we look at food. Traditional dieting has been found to not only be ineffective, but to be actually damaging to the dieter’s psyche, possibly leading to eating disorders and increased stress. Mindful eating is all about being aware of the context of your food intake and your energy state, and adjusting it accordingly. For example, you would make sure to eat differently before a long day of work or class than you would on a day that you didn’t have anything planned, to ensure that your energy levels fit each situation. It is critical to listen to what your body is telling you in order to implement mindful eating, and not try to guide your body with things like fasting, as that is not what mindful eating is meant to be.